Boeing CST 100 Starliner

Boeing CST-100 Starliner

You might remember last month I’ve made a video about SpaceX Crew and Cargo Dragon, so I thought to make a series of videos covering all 4 programs, The Boeing’s CST 100, SpaceX Crew Dragon, Lockheed Martin’s Orion and New Shepard capsule which doesn’t really compete for NASA Crew program, but it is interesting to look at all options.

So what is CST-100 Starliner? It is Boeing’s commercial crewed program for NASA, or should I say it is one of the spacecrafts that are part of NASA Commercial Crew program that will see America returning capability once it had with Space shuttle, however lost with the retirement of the Space shuttle fleet in 2011.

Since then NASA was dependent on now 60s era Russian space launch vehicles, which showed its time when a launcher exploded mid-air few months ago. The US manned program became ever more urgent as a result. However, Boeing has been battling its own demons as earlier in the year Boeing’s own CST-100 had flight abort due to technical issues.

Boeing hopes CST-100 Starliner maiden crew flight test flight, scheduled for mid-2019, could mark the first time astronauts will have launched into space from U.S. soil since the end of the shuttle program, in 2011. However, SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule — the other private astronaut taxi — is currently slated to fly its first crewed test mission in April 2019. I guess the race for who’ll be first is on.

Boeing has been trying to better SpaceX for past 5 years, so bit of race between the two space giants is welcomed, as long as it brings positive and productive result for all concerned.
Before Starliner becomes operational, it must go through a series of uncrewed and crewed test flights.

During each of these, Starliner will launch and dock with the space station. While the capsule is in orbit, crews will evaluate the vehicle's systems, ensuring that everything is working as planned. The first of those tests, an uncrewed mission, could be carried out as soon as the end of this year, at least this is what NASA hopes it might happen.

Starliner will be launched on top of Atlas V rocket, which is comparable to SpaceX’s own Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, however less efficient and as the rocket isn’t re-usable and launch costs are around $184 million, with SpaceX charging only $62 million for Crew Dragon launch, a stark difference in price is due to Atlas V not being reusable and rocket alone costs around $110 million to build.

Due to recent engine failure, it is not certain what the schedule for Boeing’s Starliner is, the likely schedule now is, un-crewed ISS test in early 2019, if Boeing manages to solve any leftover issue with the Starliner the un-manned test flight could happen sometimes in December this year.

First Crew ISS launch could happen sometimes in mid-2019, however, first commercial flight of Starliner is now more likely in early 2020, around 8 months behind SpaceX who will be ready for commercial crew flight sometimes in mid-2019, and crew-ISS test flight in April of 2019. NASA will keep both crew commercial programs despite the cost difference, mainly due to keeping the capability and know-how for future programs. NASA won’t make the same mistake it did with the Space Shuttle when it lost important capability with the retirement of the space shuttle fleet in 2011.

[harpfully]

Hey SpaceX fans (like me)... Comments trashing CST-100 and Boeing are not necessary just because you like SpaceX. We can be happy to have both.

[krzysztofrodak]

Will there be an iphone charger onboard ?

[rowenagrinsam]

Can't they build 1 that looks like USS enterprise starship?

[MyDiesel]

Thank You for the excellent video. Aside from the external fuel tank, the Space Shuttle was totally re-usable and was able carry up to 6 crew plus cargo. The shuttle even had a hydraulic arm in the cargo bay. .Why are we reverting back to capsules? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but were there not plans for a new generation of shuttles, and also new types of configurations?

[WWeronko]

As an engineer and tech junkie I can say nothing on the video is new or detailed enough to be interesting. It might have compared and contrasted the three US orbital manned spacecraft. There are many differences from life support, emergency escape and landing methods that would make interesting reading. What makes the Orion so costly when compared with the other two for example is worth discussing.

Nice try but you need to try harder.

[MrJabucek]

1:02 - Could be very misleading for someone who doesn't follow space. Challenger exploded mid flight. The recent Soyuz had a separation failure and returned both passengers safely.

[b-lt]

More expensive yes sure, not reusable, yeah but please don't call the Atlas 5 inefficient. It is one of the shining examples of efficiency with it's staged combustion russkie engines and that RL-10 powered hydrogen upper stage. It almost has double the ISP of a Merlin at sea level. And gets over 30% more acceleration for the same mass of fuel in the upper stage. It actually starts to overtake Falcon 9 and even challenge a reusable Heavy with it's interplanetary payload capability.

Problem is those RD-180's cost 25 million and an RL-10 also costs about as much with Starliner needing two Rl-10's on the upper stage so thats about 75 million dollars buy cost of the engines alone. SpaceX can build two Falcon 9's for that money and sell them for a hundred million total. Or they can start reusing them and basically resetting the price whenever the competition comes up with something competitive, since their profit margin on a reused Block 5 booster is so huge.

[kwabenatree]

don't get why NASA is not using the Delta Clipper or Delta Clipper

[alexanderbelov]

"NASA was dependent on now 60s era Russian space launch vehicle"
Actually Soyuz spaceship is named Soyuz-2 since it was modernized to use all digital control systems. Its first start was at November 8, 2004. While Soyuz-FG is also a product of Soyuz-2 that has modernized engines of the first and second stage. Its first start in May, 2001. So the spaceship may look similar to 60s era Soyuz of Leonov, but it is actually not aging trash.
This Boeing CST-100 may look very similar to Apollo mission spaceship. It does not mean this spaceship is just 60s era spaceship.

[Juleskiii]

Also the boeing starliner can launch on a falcon 9

[arthurhamilton]

starliner's projected cost per flight was $35 million per 7 seats or $250 million per flight.

[jemuelmongado]

Only time wil tell which among the Crew Dragon and the Starliner would get picked by NASA. I'm sure price is a heavy factor (and SpaceX had probably won in that already) but their priority on crew safety and reliability should be the heaviest.

[fs]

This is not up to date, the first uncrewed flight will be in 03/19, the first crewed flight in 08/19.

[johnleicester]

They to stay should update, they are in the tail as various year light of the SpaceX

[OldGamerNoob]

If mentioning the blue origins capsul, I'll comment here to add an honorable mention for the dream chaser.

[bluidguy]

It's time to move to fully (if not mostly) reusable systems and if the competition doesn't realize it more then they have space x will dominate for many decades to come.

[thedude]

Another over budget concept form Boeing. It should be ready for lift off in ten year. By then SpaceX will on Mars.

[LordFalconsword]

It's only $140 million with the current launch config. If they ever strap this to an SLS (assuming it flies), the price jumps to $500 million. That's half a billion dollars. They can launch a crew Dragon on a Falcon Heavy for $90 million. Time to admit that NASA needs to get out of the manned business entirely, and cancel SLS. Starship will make SLS look like a joke.

[webmastercaribou]

Thats not a star liner, just a capsule.

[magecraft]

Do any of the capsules have any level of re-usability or are they all one use? Also who down voted already what are the flat earthers doing here :)